Magnificent Homespun Brown by Samara Cole Doyon is a vibrant and dynamic picture book, full of exuberant, colorful art depicting Black joy. The book’s text is a poem celebrating the many beautiful ways that Black children can look, live, and celebrate. There is delightful diverse Black representation illustrated throughout the book, from disability to religion to skin tones, with a diverse crew of Black adults supporting the children’s joy. This is a book best originally read by, or at least with an adult, as some of the language is a bit aspirational for children reading picture books. Magnificent Homespun Brown is a joy to read and an important celebration of the beauty of Black and brown skin.
Thank you to #NetGalley and Tilbury House Publishers for sharing an #advancecopy of #MagnificentHomespunBrown
The [Produce] Love cookbook series from Storey Publishing is one of my favorites. The food photography is always so stellar that they are a joy to look through, even when I can’t eat a lot of the recipes (because of food allergies). However, Tomato Love by Joy Howard takes things up a notch for me, because many of the recipes are safe for me to try and sound delicious. Of course, the photography makes everything look delicious, even dishes I’m not interested in trying.
Tomato Love is tiny but mighty. In addition to the beautiful food photography and the recipes themselves, there is an introductory section discussing tomatoes in general, especially different classes of tomato (cherry, paste, heirloom, beefsteak,etc.) and how to use them. And while the recipes are not annotated as gluten free, dairy free, etc, there were plenty of recipes that seemed either already allergy-friendly, or else flexible enough to easily become so.
I can vouch for the Ham and Egg breakfast cups myself. I made them once, and we enjoyed them so much that we served them to friends, who also loved them. That particular recipe is extremely flexible–other veg can be added, fresh herbs, and cheeses, as well as swapping out the meat used. Just make sure that you use large enough pieces of lunch meat for the cups, otherwise it gets messy fast. I’m excited to try more of the other recipes soon, from Shakshouka with Extra Veg, to Caramelized Onion and Tomato Jam, Sun-dried Tomato White Bean Dip, Southwestern Quinoa Salad, Spicy Gazpacho, Oven Baked Cod, Black Lentil Stew, and Sweet Spicy Smoky BBQ Sauce, among others.
This book would be especially terrific for gardeners with bountiful harvests of tomatoes who need new ideas of how to use them, and for people who really love all things tomato. But it would also be lovely for fans of beautiful food photography, or cookbooks in general. For such a slim volume (only 100 pages!), it is jammed full of so many things that make cookbooks great.
Thank you to #NetGalley and Storey for sharing a free #advancecopy of #TomatoLove with me. It was a pleasure to read.
The Teacher’s March! by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace is a historical nonfiction picture book about a event in the Civil Rights movement that is not often mentioned, (I admit that I don’t remember ever hearing of it before.), the Teacher’s March in Selma, Alabama. Prior to the more infamous events in Selma, Alabama, featuring MLK Jr., John Lewis, and so many other brave civil rights activists, the Reverend F.D. Reese, a science teacher as well as a minister, led a group of 104 school teachers on a march through Selma to the court house to ask to register to vote…again. While they were denied their right to register at that time, they were, notably, not arrested, which made an important step in the campaign to secure the right to vote for Black Americans.
This book not only relays the story of the March itself, but also gives historical context from both before and after the March, setting it in the greater framework of the Civil Rights movement. The authors include first hand perspectives from surviving witnesses they personally interviewed, including Reverend F.D. Reese himself. The story is easy to read, with a compelling narrative structure and striking acrylic on board illustrations. Several pages at the end of the book offer an author’s note which includes further information and context, as well as present day photos of two of the surviving marchers, and black and white historical photos from Selma marches. There is also a concise timeline of events and a comprehensive bibliography citing books, personal interviews and visits, films and audio resources, websites, magazines, newspapers, and journals. A portion of the proceeds from this book are being donated to the historic church featured in this story and a STEAM academy in Selma.
“The teacher’s didn’t breathe a word . . . but you could hear courage in their leather shoes churning up the red dirt road.”
Overall this was just a great read, highly recommended for the children in your life. While honest about the nature of the resistance the Black residents of Selma faced, the book does not include detailed enough descriptions of violence to distress most young readers. Instead, this book shows how everyone can contribute to making a positive difference and standing up for what is right, and sheds a light on one historical event, set within a greater historical context–neither of which should be forgotten.
Thank you to #NetGalley and Astra Publishing for sharing a free advance copy of #TheTeachersMarch with me.
Molly Muldoon and Will Hernandez’s A Quick and Easy Guide to Asexuality is a useful addition to the asexuality canon. This slim #ownvoices nonfiction graphic novel provides, as it says, a quick and easy primer on what asexuality is and isn’t. The authors are very clear that they are only covering the basics, but they offer plenty of other resources for further reading/ viewing at the back of the book. The writing has a light, patient, positive tone, easy to understand, very affirming to fellow asexuals, and welcoming to any allosexuals (those who are not asexual) who want to learn more. Will Hernandez’s black and white comic-style illustrations are easy to read, and help to strengthen the conversational tone of the writing. A quick and accessible read, highly recommended for both asexuals and allosexuals wanting to learn more about asexuality. As the authors remind asexual readers: “You’re not broken. You’re not a failure. You’re perfectly valid and part of a larger group.”
Thank you to #NetGalley and Oni Press for allowing me to access a free advance copy of #AQuickEasyGuidetoAsexualityÂ
Other Ever Afters is a delightfully subversive collection of new queer fairy tales, relayed in muted colors with a diverse cast of characters, comic book style, with lovely decorative illustrations on pages without panels. Anti-capitalist, anti-authoritarian, feminist, queer centering as well as affirming. Also just a quick and enjoyable read, but one that may leave you pondering the stories and their underlying messages long after you’ve finished reading. Reading fables specifically written to convey values so different from the current patriarchal white supremacist capitalist world can make you realize how many social expectations are coded into older fairy tales and fables. The comic style introduction and conclusion do a great job drawing that into focus well. My favorite line is, “What truly goes hungry when it is denied girls to devour — is the castle [itself].”
So if you’re looking for stories about rejecting society’s assigned expectations, risking it all to find true love, challenging systemic poverty, collective vs. communal economics, escaping patriarchy, and consumption/ control of resources, told in attractive understated art, consider checking out #OtherEverAfters . Big thank you to Random House and #NetGalley for sharing an advance copy with me, no matter how long it took me to finally review it.
The description, cover, and title combination for Lakesedge caught my attention right away, and I was glad to be granted an advanced copy. The story itself pulled me in right away, with intriguing world building and a strong older sister fighting to keep her younger brother safe in an abusive environment. The magic/ religious system in the story is interesting and cohesive, and the world as described seemed welcoming and pleasant. Well, mostly. At first. Then the magic really started. And the romance. And the drama. And the impulsive and often self-destructive decisions.
Violetta is extremely self-sacrificing when it comes to protecting her loved ones, and not good at caring for herself at all. The more you get to understand the trauma she has been through, the more her behavior makes sense, but it still gets a little tiresome after awhile. I felt like this was very YA, with maximum angst, both familial and romantic. There’s also some sort of love triangle, and the story ends on a cliffhanger. I keep forgetting that “lush” as a book descriptor means all the purple prose describing everything, and while this book wasn’t terrible, I got a little tired of hearing about how everything tastes like ash or burned sugar or poison or whatever, and how there were strings tied from / tightening her heart, etc. And this is very much my own preference, but some of the things these characters, especially Leta, went through, and the losses they endured, just felt like too much. I could see how the writing is gothic fantasy bordering on horror.
I did love the LGBTQ+ rep, as multiple supporting characters had same sex preferences or were bi/pan, and Leta appeared to be demisexual. And while this is wholly a fantasy setting, and Violetta and her brother are fair skinned and red headed, there’s also a fair amount of supporting characters who are described as having darker skin, curly hair, etc. Also, women have a lot of agency in this story, and while most of the people with leadership roles in the story (lords, village leaders, etc) were male, several of the female characters filled important professional roles and all the women were treated with respect. (The characters definitely existed on a gender binary, and there was no non-binary representation that I can remember.
Overall this was an enjoyable, if sometimes slightly redundant and slow read. I finished it in a few days around the autumn holidays. While I’m not sure I’ll bother reading the sequel, I nevertheless appreciate #NetGalley and Macmillan granting me a free electronic advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not sure why, after more than 20 years of trying to be an environmentalist, and trying to live as sustainably as possible in the broken and destructive capitalist system we live in, I still try to read books like An Almost Zero Waste Life. Because here’s the thing: I keep hoping I’ll learn something new. Something I somehow hadn’t already learned about yet, that will help me do my part even more. And I didn’t really have that experience, but that is not the fault of the book. I’m probably not the intended audience.
I assume this book is more for those more recently interested in sustainable, low waste living. This is a lovely book, charmingly (if not sturdily) bound and illustrated, full of tips and tricks for those who are aspiring to sustainable living, but don’t have a grasp on it yet. Some of it seems very obvious. For instance, stop using disposable items, whether utensils, paper towels, facial tissues, personal care products, etc.–when you can use reusable ones instead. There’s a lot of simple recipes for cleaning and personal care products as well as food, like toothpaste and almond milk and eyeshadow and laundry powder, that look relatively easy to assemble and use. I’m especially intrigued by a facial scrub made with used coffee grounds, coconut oil, and brown sugar.
However, some of the tips, especially some of the ones involving bathroom or diaper needs–seem a little….gross and/or a hassle.Some suggestions definitely seem like the kind of tasks only someone who doesn’t work full time would have time to do regularly. There are sections about the kitchen, the bathroom, toiletries, children, pets, housekeeping, home maintenance, holidays, and various sorts of shopping. Then the book culminates with a list of 30 steps that the reader can take to attain zero waste (or close to it) living. Throughout the book the author maintains a gentle and encouraging tone. While maybe some of the goals seemed unrealistic or extremely onerous to me, I never felt berated or shamed if I didn’t try them. As the title suggests, the author admits that at best we may achieve an ALMOST zero waste life, but encourages the reader to get as close to that goal as possible. Â
Overall a pleasant read that would be a good resource for someone new to the subject. Be gentle with the book, though, if you get a physical copy. The presumably eco-friendly binding and cover don’t seem especially sturdy. Or, better yet, get a copy from the library, as a way to be even closer to zero waste. Â
Thank you to #NetGalley and Quarto Books for sharing a free #advancecopy of #AnAlmostZeroWasteLife with me. I’m sorry it took me so long to get around to reading it (thanks, pandemic reading slump!). This review is based on both the PDF advance copy I received and a physical copy I borrowed from the library.
Honestly, what can I say about Murderbot that hasn’t already been said? Murderbot is a cult-level sci-fic success, and rightly so. I thoroughly enjoyed Artificial Condition, and highlighted lines liberally. If anyone ever tries to say that a story or series of stories starring a neurodivergent asexual with anxiety wouldn’t sell, please point them this way. Because Murderbot is all of that, in a constructed body, and “yet” is totally relatable. Whether Murderbot is overwhelmed by socializing with humans and wants to sink into mindless activity to recover, or or is trying to safely, independently navigate a world that views Murderbot as “less than”, as dangerous, as something to be controlled, or just trying to figure out how to successfully interact with humans, Murderbot is relatable. and delightful.
Aside from the depiction of Murderbot as essentially asexual and neurodivergent, I also appreciate the diversely populated world Murderbot navigates. Diversity of race/ ethnicity, of gender, and of sexuality, as well as polyamory/ family units. This diverse world setting enriches the story.
Overall, just a fun read, much like everyone else has said. This was a getaway mission with related adventures and our first (and hopefully not last) encounter with ART, the research transit unit with a personality to equal Murderbot’s own. I’m very much looking forward to escaping my own confusing and exhausting world with the rest of the fun, relatable, easy-to-read books in this series.
I’m embarrassed that a book that gave me so much hope and comfort during a dark time could also take me so very long to review. I wanted to shout my appreciation for Where Hope Comes From by Nikita Gill from the rooftops, but perhaps for fear of not doing it justice, or because most of my mental energy was focused on adulting while surviving each day of a global pandemic, and didn’t leave much energy for writing/ creating on my own, or some other combination of factors, I did not. Instead, I read this book, slowly, in the evenings before I fell asleep, cherishing each gentle, hopeful poem, relating to so many of them. I’m not a poetry connoisseur, but I found the poems in this collection lovely as well as relatable, full of imagery of nature and the human heart and the impact of life-changing events on individual humans. What do the giant patterns of civilization and pandemics imprint upon humans in general, and specifically on individual humans? What does it mean to stay indoors? To hope against hope to survive, and to see one’s loved ones survive? To struggle with loss, and broken relationships while also being grateful for our own continued existence?
I love Where Hope Comes From so much that I immediately preordered a copy, and it is now a cherished part of my library, with pages dog-eared and highlighted, from Nikita Gill’s reflective forward, to Reasons to Live Through the Apocalypse to A Reminder from Smaller Beings to How to Be Happy Again. But perhaps the poem which resonates with me the most is simply titled It’s 2020:
“And everyone I know is on the verge of breaking down. Or has broken down. Or has felt more tragedies
than the cosmos truly intends for a person to feel. And it’s hard to say This too shall pass,
All we can do is pray. All we can do is not blame each other. And wish we had enjoyed one another a little longer the last time we were together.
What is left but to promise that when we next meet, we will be kinder. And fight for a better future together.”
So I am enduringly grateful that #NetGalley and Hachette granted me a temporary digital advanced copy of #WhereHopeComesFrom that I could cherish and find comfort in during these continued pandemic years. I cannot recommend this highly enough. I had never heard of Nikita Gill, or her Instagram poetry account, prior to requesting this book, but now I am going to seek out all her work, both published and online, and hope you will do the same.
The Listening House by Mabel Seeley was an unexpected treat of a mystery novel. I’d never even heard of Mabel Seeley before, despite her apparent success as a mystery writer in her lifetime. But when this book came through my library, and caught my eye with its slightly retro cover, I was curious. The back cover alludes to the Great Depression, an era I find fascinating, and calls this a classic mystery, but it wasn’t until I did a little more poking around online that I realized that The Listening House is indeed a reprint of a classic novel not only set in the 1930s, but also written and published then. Plus, the story itself sounded intriguing, so I checked out a copy of it.
At a point in time where I still struggle to concentrate on reading anything longer than social media posts, I finished this book in about 2 days. I hated having to put it down for adulting and work. I stayed up far too late at night reading it (and was a little jumpy as a result).The setting is richly atmospheric and mildly ominous. The mystery was well-plotted and kept me guessing until the very end. The primary characters are interesting and complex, with a strong, sassy, and independent heroine I would swear had been written today, did I not know otherwise.There’s a romance, but it’s not the focus of the story, and felt rather unconventional. I didn’t love the very end of the story for reasons related to the romance, but I think that manner of romantic resolution was a trope of the time. It was otherwise a satisfying ending.
I was nervous that the generalized racism of the era would be reflected in this story, but then it turned out that there was no diverse representation among the characters, which did reduce the chances of anything racist being said. The worst comments in the book were the implication that a character being French Canadian was part of the reason she was slovenly, and some descriptions of a very fat character that seemed unnecessary and uncomfortable. Of course there’s sexism present that the main character, young and unemployed divorcee Gwynne, had to deal with, but it’s mostly presented as an annoying inconvenience. My only other warning would be that some pets, to whom the main characters are not attached, meet an untimely end, although off page.
So overall this is a fun, fast-paced, atmospheric mystery novel that I would definitely recommend. I’m looking forward to reading more of Mabel Seeley’s work. My biggest complaint right now is that Berkley denied my request for an advanced copy of her next book that they’re rereleasing (The Chuckling Fingers), so I’ll have to wait until it hits the local library, like everyone else. For now, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy, but do so on a day when you have time to read it, because you’re probably not going to want to put it down either.
onceaweekormore 